To Rescue a Ranger
by Proforce
Summary: Story 1 & 2 in an ongoing series. Chip's been poisoned...by Gadget? Of course, it was a horrible mistake, but the only cure lies in a rare herb. Can Dale find the herb in time with the help of...Foxglove?! Wait a minute, what's going on here? R&R please
1. Part I

"To Rescue a Ranger - Part I"  
Authors: Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert  
  
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Disney   
(except where noted, in which case they were created and   
copyrighted by us or by another and we have permission to use   
them). The authors hereby give permission for this story to be   
downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no   
changes to the story are made without our express written(not   
e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from   
this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be   
considered a violation of copyright law.  
  
Author's Note: Well, here it is people. The one that started it all. Francis  
and I have been asked more than once what exactly got us started with fanfic,  
and this is your answer. This is the very first storyline we ever created  
together, and we're finally setting it down on paper...sort of. Anyway, we   
sincerely hope you enjoy, but take heed. What we've done here and beyond will  
dwarf everything else we've ever done. Till next time then, Happy Reading!  
  
Cast of Characters(in order of appearance)  
Gadget  
Chip  
Foxglove  
Dale  
Fat Cat  
Informant***  
Mepps  
Wart  
Mole  
Snout  
  
#1  
  
Gadget stood on one of the roots of Ranger Headquarters, breathing in   
the warm, spring air. "Isn't this wonderful, Chip?" she asked, pushing her   
way through a patch of grass as she climbed down. "There are so many plants  
that only bloom in this month, and we're lucky to have them all here in the   
park."  
  
"Yeah, great," Chip muttered, not nearly as enthusiastic as Gadget.   
He took off his backpack with a sigh and set it down on the ground. "I don't  
know why I have to lug all this stuff around. I mean, couldn't Dale or Monty  
have helped?"  
  
"Now Chip, you know full well that Monty and Zipper are at the pier to  
get the first taste of that cheese shipment from Switzerland, and Dale   
couldn't come with us because he's waiting for some company. So it's just  
you and me on this little nature hike."  
  
Chip perked up immediately as his brain made sense of what Gadget was  
saying. "So that means we're alone?" he asked, reaching forward to take  
Gadget's hands in his own.  
  
Gadget froze. Her heart felt like it was going a mile a minute and   
her lungs felt like they couldn't ever get enough air. She knew what was  
happening, knew what Chip was about to say. And deep down, in her heart of  
hearts, she wanted to hear it. She'd wanted to ever since she met him. But  
she knew it would hurt Dale, and she couldn't let that happen; couldn't come  
between these two friends. She looked around for something, anything, that  
would get her out of this.   
  
Her eyes fell on a mushroom nearly as tall as she was. It was white   
with a dark yellow cap and gave off a pleasant but not overpowering smell.  
"Hey, look at that," she said quickly, pulling her hands away and walking   
over to it.  
  
Chip sighed under his breath but forced a smile. "What's so special  
about this mushroom?" he asked, keeping his voice perfectly neutral.  
  
"Nothing much, just that they're the absolute tastiest mushrooms in the  
world."  
  
Chip sniffed the mushroom cautiously. "Are you sure it's safe? Last   
time you told me I could eat a plant it kept me in bed for a week."  
  
"Oh Chip, how long are you going to remind me of that?" Gadget turned  
toward him and looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Don't you trust  
me anymore?"  
  
Chip closed his eyes and leaned his head against the mushroom. "All  
right, all right," he said, defeated. He never could say no to her when she   
looked at him like that. He took a small bite and swallowed it quickly.   
  
A few seconds passed with Gadget looking at him expectantly. Then   
Chip's eyes snapped open. "Hey, you're right!" he said, taking another  
bite of the mushroom. "This is great!"  
  
Gadget chuckled quietly as she watched Chip dig in. "See Chip,   
nothing to worry about. Now, if there were any brown spots on the side, then  
it would...be...." Her voice trailed off as something caught her eye on the  
other side of the mushroom. She ran around it and pushed away the grass near  
the base. "Oh no," she whispered, reaching out with a trembling hand to  
touch the brown spots that she swore had just not been there.  
  
A strangled cry brought her back to reality. "Chip!" she yelled,   
jumping to catch him before he fell. "Chip, speak to me please!" she  
pleaded, her tears starting to fall. "This is all my fault."  
  
She felt the analytical part of her mind take over, assessing the   
situation. Chip had eaten about five mouthfuls of the mushroom, more than  
enough to be lethal. If she remembered correctly, the mushroom's toxins  
raised the body's temperature to unbearable levels, basically forcing it to  
cook itself. Already she could feel Chip's unconscious body heating up as  
the fever took hold. "I have to get him to headquarters," she mumbled,   
standing up and grabbing him under the arms.   
  
Working as an inventor, Gadget had often had to drag things more than  
three times her weight back to her lab. But now, her fear and guilt combined  
to rob her of all her strength. "Somebody help me!" she yelled at the top  
of her lungs. "Can anyone hear me?"  
  
She looked around frantically, but it seemed no one was around. She   
looked up at the tree, trying to figure out how long it would take her to run  
up it to get Dale's help and saw a flash of color against the blue sky. Not  
caring who or what it was, she grabbed a piece of equipment from Chip's   
backpack and reflected the sunlight at the figure.  
  
At first, it didn't look like it worked, but then the figure changed  
course, diving down to land right beside them. "Hey, what's the big idea  
blinding me like that Gadget?" a familiar voice asked.  
  
"Foxglove!" Gadget cried, hugging her friend tight. "You have no  
idea how happy I am to see you!"  
  
"Any happier and I'd have some cracked ribs," Foxglove gasped. "Could  
you let me go now so I can breathe?"  
  
"Oh, sorry," Gadget said, letting go and backing away. She took a   
second to look at Foxglove. In contrast to the last time she had seen her  
friend, Foxglove was now wearing a pair of blue jeans and a yellow halter top  
that accentuated her figure while giving her wings the freedom to flap easily.  
"Makes sense," she thought, then shook her head. "Foxglove, you have to help  
me get Chip to headquarters. He ate some of that mushroom and--"  
  
"No problem, Gadget," Foxglove said, walking over to Chip and lifting  
him up so she could scissor her legs around his chest from behind. "I'll meet  
you up there!" she called as she took off, carrying Chip up the tree.   
  
By the time Gadget got up the tree, Foxglove had already settled Chip   
down on the couch and was covering him with a blanket she had gotten from   
somewhere. "He's burning up," she said, "but he's also shaking with chills."  
  
Gadget nodded, running into her room and taking a book from one of  
the shelves. "Get some water and a cloth to cool off his forehead," she   
called, flipping pages back and forth. "Here, I got it!"  
  
"Got what?" Foxglove asked, poking her head through the doorway.  
  
"The cure. It says here that the only way to remove the poison from  
his system is with this herb, but it only grows in the Rocky Mountains."  
  
Foxglove glanced over at the book. The herb was a distinctive red-  
orange color and had leaves in groups of fives. "But that's halfway across   
the country!" she protested. "There's no way we can make it in time."  
  
"I have to try," Gadget said, dropping the book, rushing outside, and   
hopping into the Ranger Wing. "Keep Chip as cool as you can." She buckled   
her seat belt and punched down the start button. But she punched down so   
hard, she jammed it in. Sparks flew from the batteries in back and the Wing   
started to vibrate. Then an explosion sounded, blowing the entire back of the  
plane up, though leaving Gadget untouched.  
  
"This cannot be happening!" Gadget screamed in frustration, pounding  
her fist into the dashboard repeatedly.  
  
"Calm down Gadget," Foxglove said soothingly, flying up to the wing   
and grabbing hold of Gadget's hand. "Losing your temper isn't going to   
help Chip any."  
  
"Uh, what's wrong with Chip?"  
  
Gadget and Foxglove turned around to see Dale scampering down from the  
highest branches of the tree. "Hey there sweetie," Foxglove said, winking at  
Dale flirtatiously.  
  
If Gadget hadn't been so distracted, she would've seen the blush creep  
into Dale's cheeks, momentarily turning them as red as his nose. He turned  
around to see Chip laying on the couch, his face bathed in sweat. "Chip?"  
  
"It's all my fault Dale," Gadget whispered brokenly. "If only I hadn't  
told him that mushroom was OK to eat."  
  
"All right, that's enough," Foxglove said, grabbing Gadget by her   
shoulders and looking right in her face. "What would you rather do? Sit   
there and feel sorry for yourself or figure out how to get that cure?"  
  
"Oh, what's the use Foxglove? Without the Ranger Wing, there's no  
way we can get to the Rocky Mountains--"  
  
"Hey, is this the cure?" Dale asked, picking up the book Gadget had  
dropped.   
  
"Yeah, that's it," Gadget answered. "Not that it does us any good   
now."  
  
"Wait a second, I know I've seen it before." Dale clenched his eyes  
shut tightly for a moment, thinking. "I got it! I saw on TV that there's   
a science fair downtown. One of the projects is on rare herbs, and this one   
was the star of it."  
  
"The regional finals, of course!" Gadget muttered. "But how are we  
going to get there? The Ranger Wing's busted."  
  
"I could fly there," Foxglove suggested. "But I don't know what the  
building looks like."  
  
"I'd know it if I saw it again," Dale said. "Hey Foxy, think you're  
up to flying me down there?"  
  
"I'll give it a try, Sweetie," Foxglove said, spreading her wings.   
"Can we get a diving start on this though?"  
  
"No problem, Foxy," Dale said with a smile. "We'll be back as soon   
as we can Gadget!" His smile wavered a little and a tear fell from his  
eye. "Just keep Chip going, all right? I...I can't lose my best friend."  
  
"I swear I'll do everything I can Dale," Gadget whispered as Dale   
ran off the edge of the runway. It took a second for her to realize exactly   
what he'd done. She peered over the edge in shock and surprise, only to see   
Foxglove dive past her and catch Dale in mid-air, winging off toward the  
downtown area. "Please hurry," she whispered, not even trying to stop the  
tears from falling from her eyes.  
  
Unseen to her, a shadow detached itself from a nearby branch, gliding   
down the trunk of the tree and off into the distance.  
  
Some minutes later, Fat Cat sat at his desk, staring hard at the animal  
before him. "Are you quite sure?" he asked for the fifth time. "Many times  
I have tried to crush those ridiculous rodents only to have them turn the  
tables on me."  
  
"I am absolutely positive, Fat Cat," the racoon said, a note of anger  
creeping into his voice. "I have been providing information to the highest   
bidder for years now, and not one of my employers has ever complained. I tell  
you, the leader of the Rangers is unable to fight due to the poison even now   
running through his system and only the female mouse is there to take care of  
him. And this," he added, jabbing his finger on a map of the park sprawled   
out on Fat Cat's desk, "is their exact location."  
  
"If you're telling the truth, Informant, then I'll never have a better  
chance to destroy them. Without their leader and their inventor, the rest of  
the Rangers will fall apart like rotten wood."  
  
Informant sighed under his breath. "Now then, if you're satisfied there  
is the matter of my payment."  
  
"Why of course, dear fellow," Fat Cat said smoothly, instantly putting   
Informant on his guard. "Let it never be said that I don't pay my debts." He  
snapped his fingers and Informant suddenly found himself grabbed by four pairs  
of hands, one on each arm and leg. "Boys, show him how we pay our snitches."  
  
"You'll never get away with this Fat Cat!" Informant screamed as he was  
stuffed down the garbage chute.   
  
"Why do they always say that?" Fat Cat wondered, smirking. "Let's go  
boys, we've got Rangers to squash."  
  
"Do you think it's going to work this time?" Mepps whispered to the   
others as Fat Cat waited for the elevator.  
  
"It had better," Wart whispered back. "It's embarassing how many times  
they've beaten us."  
  
"Uh, who's beating us?" Mole asked, completely confused.  
  
"Just worry about beating those Rangers and you'll be fine," Snout said,  
adjusting his hat.  
  
Back at Ranger Headquarters, Gadget had pulled up a chair and sat next   
to the couch where Chip lay. She dozed lightly, finding relief from her guilt  
for a small time. But she was brought back to reality when she heard a loud  
thud.  
  
"Chip?" she asked, yawning slightly. Then she saw him sprwaled on the  
floor. "He must've rolled off," she thought, kneeling next to him and   
gathering him in her arms. She struggled up to her feet and placed him gently  
on the couch. As she got him settled, he twitched in his fever-induced sleep,  
knocking over the bowl she had been using to keep the cold rags in, sending   
water everywhere.  
  
"Great, just great," she muttered. She mopped up the water as best she   
could and then headed into the kitchen to refill the bowl. When she turned on  
the faucets, however, no water came out. "What now?" she exclaimed angrily,  
twisting her head under the faucet to see if there was any obstruction. No   
sooner was her face directly underneath it than the water came out full force.  
  
Gadget pulled away from the water, gasping and spluttering. "Can this  
day get any worse?" she nearly screamed, shutting off the faucet so hard she  
nearly broke the knobs.   
  
A pain-filled moan cut through her anger, and all of a sudden her guilt  
returned full force. She let out a soft, scared sigh as she dried herself on  
a nearby towel. "Dale, Foxglove," she whispered, "if you can hear me, hurry  
back...please."  
  
At that exact moment, Dale and Foxglove were flying through the downtown  
area, still in search for this building. "Are we almost there, sweetie?"  
Foxglove asked, her voice strained. "I don't think I can keep this up much  
longer."  
  
"I wish I knew Foxy," Dale answered, looking from side to side. "I wish  
I knew. We're never gonna find this place!"  
  
"Don't say that," Foxglove said tersely, forcing herself to speed up,  
ignoring the pain in her wings. But it was no use, and her already exhausted  
wings slowed down dramatically. "Hang on, Dale!" she yelled just before her  
wings gave out on her and they plummeted toward the ground.  
  
They didn't fall too far, however, as they landed on a banner that was   
strecthed between two lampposts. They slid to the middle and just lay there  
a moment, Foxglove to regain her strength and Dale to recover from the fright  
of the near fall. "Just give me...a sec to catch...my breath," Foxglove  
murmured.  
  
Dale nodded, then crawled to the edge of the banner and looked around.  
"Umm, Foxy," he said slowly, "we're here."  
  
"We are?" Foxglove lifted her head wearily and looked around. The   
buildings on either side of them looked just like all the other buildings   
they'd seen on their flight through the downtown area. But her sensitive  
hearing picked up on a voice inside the building to the left that she had been  
too tired to hear before.  
  
"Would all exhibits on tables fifteen through twenty-one prepare for   
judging," the voice said, sounding slightly metallic. It didn't take long for  
Foxglove to figure out the voice was coming through a loudspeaker.  
  
"You're right, Dale," she said, stretching her wings carefully. "But  
I can barely hear it myself, how'd you know?"  
  
"Hear what, Foxy?" Dale asked, confused. "I just read the banner."  
  
Foxglove poked her head over the edge and looked down. "SCIENCE FAIR  
TODAY" was written in large block letters on the banner. "Talk about dumb  
luck," she whispered with a chuckle.  
  
Dale turned his head away, but not before Foxglove saw a sad look on  
his face. "Hey," Foxglove said, turning Dale back to face her, "I wasn't   
calling you dumb, sweetie. I just said that because of how we found this  
place."  
  
"I know you'd never do that, Foxy," Dale said slowly. "It's just that  
Chip always...." Dale cut himself off and his eyes widened. "Chip! We gotta  
find that herb! Think you can get us in?"  
  
Foxglove looked around as she tested her wings. "I think I can glide  
us down through one of the open windows, but no flying once we're inside."  
  
"No problem," Dale said, a glimmer of his usual cockiness showing   
through. "Hang on, Chip, we're coming!"  
  
Foxglove grabbed Dale between her legs and fell off the banner,   
spreading her wings to catch an air current. Fortunately, her wings held  
and they made it through the window and to an empty table. "That's it,"  
she said, leaning against the wall. "I can't fly anymore."  
  
"You did great, Foxglove," Dale said, giving her a quick hug but   
failing to notice the blush that stained her cheeks when he did. "Rest for a  
bit while I try to find out where this plant is."  
  
Dale looked around the building and stared in awe. "This place is  
huge," he thought, his spirits faltering. "No way we can find it in time."  
He turned back toward Foxy and stopped in surprise. Right above her head was  
a listing of all the exhibits in the building. He scanned the list for the  
one he wanted. "Hmm...tornado in a bottle, no. Ah! there it is, number   
25! Looks like you were right about dumb luck."  
  
"Let's just hope it holds," Foxglove said, pushing away from the wall   
and wincing. "What table are we at?"  
  
Dale looked over the table's edge and saw a sign taped to the corner.  
"Table one," he said. "We'd better get moving."  
  
"You go on ahead, Dale. I may be a fast flyer, but I'm not made for   
speed on the ground."  
  
Dale thought for a moment and then dropped to all fours. "Grab on," he   
said with a smile. "Looks like I'm gonna be carrying you this time."  
  
Foxglove raised one eyebrow uncertainly, but sat astride Dale's back and  
grabbed onto his collar. "You sure you can handle my weight?"  
  
"No problem, Foxy," Dale said. Without warning he started running down  
one of the table legs and took off for the center of the room.   
  
Meanwhile, Fat Cat was walking down a street with his gang, a smug look  
on his face. "Those Rangers always ruin my plans because of their teamwork,"   
he thought. "Let's see what happens when there's no more 'team' to work   
with."  
  
"Umm Mr. Fat Cat, can we take a break?" Mole asked for the third time   
in five minutes.  
  
Fat Cat clenched one of his hands in anger, but was able to keep calm.  
"Mole, how many times must I say that the faster we get there, the faster you  
can rest?"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Hey Boss," Snout began, rubbing his chin, "I don't know if this is a   
good thing. I mean, going after a guy when he's down? Not exactly playing   
fair."  
  
"Of course we don't play fair!" Fat Cat exploded, forcing Snout to   
backtrack a few steps. "I want to be rid of these rodents by any means  
necessary!"  
  
"OK, OK.... I just thought--"  
  
"That's your problem, you thought. I do the thinking around here, you  
just do what I tell you to." Fat Cat turned away and started walking when he  
saw the entrance to the park. "We're here. Now be quiet and follow me." He  
walked through the gate, not noticing a shadowy figure disappearing over the   
top of the wall.  
  
As Fat Cat and his cronies made their way toward Ranger Headquarters,  
Dale and Foxglove hid under table 25, waiting for the right opportunity to   
take the herb. But the kid, a young boy about ten years old with mousy brown  
hair and freckles, was watching the exhibit like a hawk watches its prey.   
"What are we going to do, Dale?" Foxglove asked, worried. "The judges are   
almost here, and we can't take the chance of him just throwing it away because   
he lost."  
  
"I know, Foxy," Dale said, frustrated. "But what can we do? I'm not   
the one who thinks of the plans." He grabbed his head and clenched his eyes  
shut. "I can't do this!"  
  
"Dale! Snap out of it!" Foxglove grabbed him by his shirt collar and   
slapped him once across the face.  
  
Dale shook his head a little and calmed down. "Thanks, I needed that.  
Now then, how are we going to get that herb?" He stepped back from Foxglove   
and looked around for something they could use. Then, an unusual sound caught  
his attention. "What's that?"  
  
Foxglove listened closely to what Dale had heard. "Sounds like a lot of  
wind, but inside the building?" She looked in the direction the sound was   
coming from and saw that the student on the next table over had created a   
"tornado in a bottle" for her exhibit. But Foxglove also saw that the bottle   
wasn't secure enough and would blow off any minute. She tried to tell Dale,   
but he was already scampering up the table to get the herb. "Dale! No!"  
  
Dale, seeing that the boy was distracted and slowly backing away from   
his table, knew that it was now or never. He made a mad dash across the table  
and headed for the herb. But as soon as he touched the herb, the bottle on   
the next table shattered, freeing the tornado. Now, while it was small and of  
nearly no threat to any human, it was more than enough to pull the nearby   
exhibits and one chipmunk into its vortex.  
  
"Dale!" Foxglove cried, watching him get flung around the tornado as   
the humans all backed away a safe distance, just in case.   
  
"Somebody stop this thing!" Dale yelled. "I wanna get off!" But   
Foxglove could only watch helplessly, knowing if she tried to save Dale, she'd   
end up in just as much danger.  
  
In Ranger Headquarters, Gadget still sat next to Chip's prone form, a   
bowl of ice now in her lap. In a desperate attempt to keep Chip's fever down,  
she had resorted to placing ice directly on Chip's forehead. It was a   
continuous process, however, for the ice started evaporating as soon as it  
touched Chip's head.   
  
Gadget sighed quietly, trying to tune out her guilt by focusing on what  
she had to do. Take ice from the bowl, put it on Chip's head, wait a few   
moments, repeat. So focused was she on the routine that she almost did not  
notice when she had run out of ice.  
  
Shaking her head, Gadget walked to the kitchen and dug more ice out of  
the ice maker she had attached to the faucet. But she was using more ice   
than the machine could make, and soon it would overheat. And then....Chip....  
  
A sharp knocking at the door startled her, making her drop the bowl.  
She stared at the door for a few moments before she realized she was supposed  
to answer it. She hurried to the door, hoping it was Dale and Foxglove, but  
knowing deep down they wouldn't have knocked.  
  
When she opened the door, she saw a raccoon standing there, glancing   
around impatiently. "Finally," he said, grabbing her arm and dragging her  
outside.  
  
"What's going on?" Gadget asked, trying to squirm from his grasp, but  
the raccoon was too strong.  
  
"Just be quiet and look," he said, pointing. Gadget looked where he had  
indicated and let out a gasp. Fat Cat and his gang were heading straight for  
the tree! "You don't have much time," the raccoon said, letting her go. "I  
suggest you get yourself ready."  
  
"But how...?" Gadget started to ask, but the raccoon had already left.  
She watched Fat Cat approaching for a moment before her face contorted in   
rage. "Oh no," she said, her voice uncharacteristically low and dangerous.  
"You will not have him, Fat Cat. I swear to you, you will not take the one I  
love!"  
  
She stalked back inside to prepare her defenses, and the raccoon smiled  
unseen. "I always pay my debts too," he said, disappearing among the foliage.  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	2. Part II

"To Rescue a Ranger-Part II"  
Authors: Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert  
  
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Disney   
(except where noted, in which case they were created and   
copyrighted by us or by another and we have permission to use   
them). The authors hereby give permission for this story to be   
downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no   
changes to the story are made without our express written(not   
e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from   
this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be   
considered a violation of copyright law.  
  
Author's Note: First things first. I want to apologize to any of our fans who  
did not receive an e-mail from me after writing to us. As many of you know,   
Francis and I live in New York City, so the effects of September 11th hit very  
close to home. Fact is, I was supposed to be there that morning, but I slept   
in really late. That experience can change a person's life fairly quickly.  
But in addition, my sister has recently been diagnosed with cancer, and my  
father has just had a minor heart attack. Both are OK, but as one might guess  
the last few months have been very draining on me.  
  
Another change taking place in my life is the fact that I am  
returning to college this February to get my degree. It's been a long time  
since I've been in a classroom, but if I get through these last 2 classes I  
will graduate in June 2002. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it.   
  
As far as Francis is concerned, he's doing well. There's still  
no trouble with his transplanted kidney, and it's now been almost three and a   
half years. He wants to thank everyone for the support they've given over the   
years, and we promise to keep you better updated through faster stories. Take  
care everyone, and till next time, Happy Reading!  
  
  
Cast of Characters(in order of appearance)  
Gadget  
Chip  
Fat Cat  
Mepps  
Mole  
Wart  
Snout  
Dale  
Foxglove  
Monterey Jack  
Zipper  
  
#2  
  
Gadget walked through her workshop frantically, tossing inventions and  
other items into a large bag. "Anything else?" she wondered silently,   
looking around. She briefly considered bringing some things that had been   
nailed down in preparation for an experiment, but she knew they would take too  
long to get free and ripping them up was simply not an option. "I hope it's   
enough."  
  
She was about to make one last pass through her lab when she heard   
shuffling footsteps behind her. She whirled immediately, bringing her   
plunger gun to bear on whoever was behind her. "Take it easy," Chip gasped  
out, his voice raspy and low.   
  
"Chip!" Gadget exclaimed in a mix of surprise and relief. "You should  
be laying down," she said, putting the plunger gun back into the bag.  
  
"You know me," he said, managing a small smile. "I hate laying down for  
too long. Besides, that's Dale's job."  
  
Gadget couldn't help the smile that touched her lips at his remark, but  
she quickly schooled her features into a mask of annoyance. "You have to   
conserve your strength," she told him in her best maternal voice.  
  
Chip held up his hands in surrender only to be doubled over by a fit of  
coughing. Gadget was at his side in an instant, steering him back to the   
couch. "Cold..." he muttered, shivering as she laid him down.  
  
Gadget hurried into his bedroom and grabbed a blanket from his bed.  
"Now you rest," she told him softly, tucking the blanket around him warmly.  
"It won't be much longer now."  
  
Chip nodded and closed his eyes, soon falling into a deep slumber.  
Gadget watched him for a moment, making sure he was only sleeping, before  
laying a soft kiss on his forehead. She drew back and blushed at her   
unusual forwardness, then realized how hot his forehead was getting.   
"It won't matter if Fat Cat gets him," she realized, walking back into her  
workshop and grabbing the bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She saw   
herself in a nearby mirror and couldn't help but think she looked a little  
like Santa Claus with that sack. "Hope Fat Cat likes my 'presents'," she  
thought, her expression hardening in determination.  
  
At the base of the Headquarters, Fat Cat and his gang had just emerged  
from the long grass surrounding the tree. "This one _has_ to be it," he   
muttered in frustration.   
  
"Where have we heard that before?" Mepps muttered to the others.  
  
"What was that?" Fat Cat demanded, unsheathing his claws.   
  
"Umm...I was just saying how sure I was that this was the right one,  
Boss," Mepps said, cowering back.  
  
"That's what I thought. Mole, get up and see what's there."  
  
"Aww, but Mr. Fat Cat," Mole whined, "I'm a digger, not a climber. I'm  
afraid of heights."  
  
"I told you to get up there!" Fat Cat yelled, sending Mole scurrying up  
the trunk. A few moments and a loud yell later, Mole fell back down, a   
plunger stuck on his face.  
  
"Somebody get this thing off me!" Mole cried, running around in circles  
until he ran into the tree. "Yeouch!" he said as he slid down to the ground.  
  
"Hey Fat Cat!" a voice yelled from one of the thicker branches. When  
Fat Cat and his gang looked up, they saw Gadget standing there with her   
plunger gun reloaded and ready to fire. "If you want Chip, you'll have to get  
by me first."  
  
"How did she find out?" Fat Cat growled, grabbing his nearest henchman,  
which just happened to be Wart, and shaking him like a rag doll. After Wart's  
head stopped, all he could do is shrug. "Mepps!" Fat Cat said, dropping Wart  
and turning to him, "get up there and take care of her."  
  
"Right away, Boss," Mepps said, climbing up the tree. He looked up in   
time to avoid the plunger aimed for his face, but not the harpoon rope. He   
cried out as the rope wrapped around his arms and body, causing him to lose   
his grip. No longer able to hold onto the tree, he falls down, crashing   
through some branches and landing headfirst on Mole, who had just started to   
stir again.  
  
"She's only one mouse!" Fat Cat said angrily. "Wart, get up there and   
don't come down unless you bring her with you!"  
  
"Yes, sir," Wart said, climbing the tree quickly.  
  
"You go up the other side," Fat Cat whispered to Snout. "While she's   
busy with him, you get the leader, understood?"  
  
"Whatever you say, Boss," Snout said, edging around the tree and   
climbing up the other side.  
  
Gadget was just able to ready another harpoon rope as Wart came into  
range. She fired right at his head, but her aim was a little high. Before  
she could release the rope, Wart grabbed it and yanked on it, hard. Gadget  
tried to keep her grip, but had to let go or risk being pulled off the   
branch.  
  
She turned around to grab another weapon, but then she saw Snout   
already on the branch and heading toward the doorway into the headquarters.  
"No!" she screamed, running toward him. But before she got more than a few   
steps, a green hand grabbed her foot and tripped her up.  
  
Snout looked over at Gadget and saw her fall. "She must be caught on  
something," he thought. "If I get rid of her I can take out that chipmunk  
easy." He rushed at her, shoulder first, intending to knock her off the  
branch.  
  
Gadget saw him coming, but couldn't move because Wart was still holding   
her ankle. At the last possible moment, she threw herself flat. Snout, not  
expecting that, flew over her and crashed into Wart. Gadget held onto a   
nearby twig as Wart lost his hold on her and he and Snout fell to the ground,  
right on top of the other two. Now, all four were unconscious.  
  
"I can't believe this!" Fat Cat growled. "If you want something done  
right, you have to do it yourself!" Baring his claws, he sunk them into the  
tree and climbed up one hold at a time.  
  
Gadget saw him coming and looked around for something to use. "Great,"  
she thought, "no more ranged weapons. How am I going to hold him off now?"  
She looked in the direction Dale and Foxglove had flown off in what seemed   
like years ago. "Hurry back you two," she silently urged.  
  
As the assault on Ranger Headquarters was heating up, Dale was still   
trapped in the whirlwind, trying to find something to grab onto. "Foxy!" he  
yelled again. "Do something! I'm gonna be sick!"  
  
Foxglove looked around, looking for anything she could use. "There's   
gotta be something," she thought. She flinched back as the ruined experiment  
spat a few sparks in her direction. "Wait a minute, that's it!" She hurried  
to the outlet and pulled the plug. "No power, no tornado," she thought  
triumphantly.  
  
Dale let out a sigh of relief as the tornado dissipated. That is, until  
he realized he was still in mid-air. A look of fear crossed his face as he   
looked at the table below him, gulped, and then fell with a startled yelp.  
Foxglove hurried to him, pulling him out of a pile of dirt he had ended up  
upside-down in. "You okay?" she asked, brushing him off.  
  
"Yeah, I landed on my head," Dale said with a smile. "Come on, we gotta  
find...." Dale's voice trailed off when he saw the destruction the tornado  
had caused. All exhibits within a one table radius had been destroyed,   
including the one with the herb they needed. "It's gone," he whispered.   
"Chip...."  
  
Foxglove looked down, shuffling her feet. "I'm sorry Dale," she said.  
"If I'd been able to stop the tornado sooner, maybe--"  
  
"It's not your fault Foxy," Dale said with a heavy sigh. "Come on, we'd  
better be getting back. I wanna be there when...."  
  
"Oh Dale," Foxglove murmured, her eyes bright with unshed tears as she  
looked up at Dale. She did a double take and tilted her head to the side.   
"Dale, turn around." When he started to protest, she held up a wing and said,  
"Please Dale, just trust me on this one."  
  
Dale turned around as requested, and Foxglove reached down the back of   
his shirt. "Whoa!" he yelped, squirming. "That's cold!"  
  
"Hold still, I almost.....got it!" she exclaimed, pulling her wing out.  
  
"Got what?"  
  
"This!" Foxglove said with a smile. She opened her wing and Dale saw a  
distinctive red-orange leaf.   
  
"The herb! But...?!"  
  
"Like I said, cutie," Foxglove said with a smile, "dumb luck."  
  
Dale smiled and wrapped Foxglove up in a close hug. Foxglove just stood  
there a moment, stunned at Dale's show of affection, before slowly wrapping   
her wings around him and hugging him back. They stayed like that until Dale  
realized just what he was doing and pulled away quickly, blushing as red as   
his nose. "Umm, I...." he stammered.  
  
"Yeah," Foxglove agreed, a blush darkening her maroon cheeks. "We   
should be going."  
  
"Umm, can you fly?" Dale asked, putting the herb in his pocket as he  
tried to calm his blush.   
  
Foxglove stretched her wings with a soft sigh. "I'll be able to get  
us back, but don't ask me to do any flying for a few days after this."  
  
"Don't worry, I won't." Dale smiled and jumped off the table, letting  
Foxglove get her diving start.  
  
Back at Ranger Headquarters, Fat Cat was still trying to climb the tree.  
His purple suit was rumpled and ripped, and he was sporting a few lumps on his  
head. He was moving up the tree slowly this time, keeping both eyes on Gadget  
to see what she had planned.   
  
Gadget tossed a few acorns down from the branch, but they did nothing to  
faze her opponent. "This isn't working," she thought, looking around for   
something heavier to throw. Seeing nothing, she wracked her brains for an  
alternate plan of action. "Of course!" she exclaimed, running back into the  
headquarters.  
  
Fat Cat saw Gadget head back inside and sped up accordingly. "Finally,  
victory will be mine," he muttered, reaching up to grab the next branch.  
  
"Hey Fat Cat!" Gadget yelled, causing Fat Cat to look up. He saw a   
metal nozzle in her hand just a split second before she turned it on.   
Lubricating oil spewed out, covering him and that side of the tree in an   
instant.  
  
Fat Cat scrambled like mad to keep his grip on the tree, but it was   
impossible because of the oil and he started the inevitable slide back to the  
ground. "No matter," he thought, merely walking around to the other side of  
the tree and climbing up there. "I'm so close now, nothing can stop me."  
  
Gadget turned to use the nozzle on that side of the tree, but nothing  
came out. "Out already?" she asked disbelievingly. "I...I have nothing  
else to stop him." Her face hardened into a mask of anger. "But he won't  
get Chip without a fight!"  
  
Meanwhile, at the still evacuated science fair building, Foxglove was   
gliding around to the best of her ability, looking for the window they had   
fallen in through. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," she   
said.  
  
"It's gotta be around here somewhere Foxy," Dale said, looking from side  
to side. "Hey! Look out!"  
  
Foxglove's eyes snapped forward just in time to see herself fly into a   
clump of ribbons. "Not again," she moaned, squirming around to get free but  
only succeeding in getting more tangled. She sighed, wondering what else   
could go wrong. Her question was soon answered as the ribbons holding her and  
Dale up broke, sending them both crashing to the table below.  
  
Dale shook his head as he sat up. The worst he suffered in the fall was  
a bump on the head, which he hardly even felt. He stood up, a little unsteady  
on his feet, and took a step forward. That was when he felt the table under  
his foot sink a bit. The sound of a conveyor belt starting up reached his   
ears and made him look down. Under his foot was a button labeled "START".  
  
"Dale!" Foxglove yelled and Dale looked at her. She was laying on the   
conveyor belt he had heard start and it was moving her toward a large blade  
that looked like a key copier. "Pull the plug!" she urged.   
  
Dale scampered around to the back of the machine, but there was no plug.  
"It runs on batteries!" he yelled back, getting frantic. "And the back's   
screwed in. I can't get to them in time!"  
  
"Get me off of here! I don't want to be anymore keyed up than I am!"  
  
Dale looked around for something to jam the machine with, but nothing  
useful was in reach. Out of options, Dale felt something inside him snap.  
Without thinking about what he was doing, he ran over and tackled Foxglove off  
the belt just before the blade came down on her.  
  
"That was too close, sweetie," Foxglove said as Dale helped untangle   
her.   
  
"Aww, didn't even touch me," Dale said confidently.  
  
Foxglove tilted her head to the side, studying him. She started to say  
something sarcastic when an odd smell reached her nose. It smelled metallic,  
like copper, and had a thick, pungent odor. With a start, she realized what   
she was smelling. She turned him around roughly, to his protests. Then she  
saw it: a medium gash on his right arm. "Dale, you're bleeding!" she cried.  
  
"I am?" Dale looked at his arm and saw the blood. "Aww, it's just a   
scratch Foxy."  
  
"A scratch my foot!" Foxglove grabbed one of the ribbons she had been  
tangled in and wrapped Dale's arm up in it. "Of all the stupid, idiotic  
things to do," she muttered, tying the bandage perhaps a bit too tight. "I  
just have one question for you."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Why did you risk your life for me like that? And don't give me that  
you're a Rescue Ranger. You wouldn't have protected me with your body like   
you did; you would've just grabbed the ribbon and pulled me off."  
  
Dale's tried to shrug it off or laugh it off, but Foxglove just kept  
staring at him. Finally, Dale sighed and turned away, muttering something.  
Foxglove grabbed hold of him and brought him face-to-face. Dale tried to look  
away, but her gaze held his captive and the words tumbled from his lips before  
he knew what he was saying. "I guess when it comes to love, you don't count  
the cost."  
  
Foxglove backed up a step involuntarily as what Dale said set in. "Did  
you just...?"  
  
Dale took her hands in his, look into her eyes that were filling with  
tears of joy. "I love you, Foxy," he said softly, with a seriousness rarely   
if ever heard in his voice. "And that means I'd do anything for you, no   
matter the cost."  
  
Foxglove smiled and pulled Dale into a hug, crying softly into his   
shoulder. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that," she   
whispered.  
  
Dale smiled and hugged her back. "I know Foxy, and we have a lot to   
talk about. But we gotta go save Chip first."  
  
"You're right," she said, stepping back and wiping her eyes. She spread  
her wings and stretched them. Looking around, she noticed a nearby window was   
open and pointed. "And there's our way out."  
  
"Give it everything you got!" Dale yelled, lifting his arms so Foxglove  
could pick him up and take off.  
  
Some time after Dale and Foxglove had finally made it out, Fat Cat had   
nearly reached the branches where Ranger Headquarters was. The lumps on his  
head had grown larger, and he was panting heavily. The claw marks on the tree  
showed that he had been knocked off many times, but also that he had gotten up  
just as many. The grass around the tree was littered with the remains of most  
of Gadget's experiments, all of which had become projectiles.  
  
But now, Gadget had run out. She looked around desperately for   
something else to throw, anything else. But the only thing nearby was the   
Ranger Wing, and she needed that as a possible escape route. Out of options  
and out of time, she ran back inside the headquarters and to the couch where  
Chip lay. "Chip!" she yelled, shaking him. "You've got to get up! Fat   
Cat's coming, and we have to get out, now!"  
  
Chip roused slowly from his fever-induced haze. His whole body was  
burning up and his eyes had a glassy, far-off look to them. "Fat Cat?" he  
asked quietly, as if it hurt to talk. "How...when...?"  
  
"No time for questions, we have to go." Gadget pulled him up to a   
sitting position and slipped an arm around his waist. But when she tried to  
haul him to a standing position, he had absolutely no strength left in his  
body and slipped back down to the couch. "Chip!"  
  
"It's no use, Gadget," Chip murmured. "Go on, you have to get out of  
here. Leave me."  
  
"No way, never!" she protested. "We leave together, or we stay   
together."  
  
"Gadget, you have to. No," he said, mustering up enough strength to  
hold up his hand to stop her from talking, "I'm making this a direct order.  
This may not be the best time to tell you, but I love you. I mean really love  
you. Knowing something happened to you would hurt me more than anything Fat  
Cat could ever do to me. Now go!"  
  
Gadget stood up like she was about to leave, accustomed as she was to  
following Chip's orders. But she immediately sat back down and took his hand  
in hers. "I swore I wouldn't let Fat Cat get you," she whispered, pressing   
her cheek into his palm. "I swore by all the love I have for you, and I'm not  
about to break my word. I cross my heart, Chip."  
  
Chip chuckled a bit but it quickly turned into a hacking cough. "Both  
our timing needs work," he said weakly. "But if that's the last thing I hear,  
I'll die a happy chipmunk."  
  
"How very touching," a voice sneered from the doorway. They didn't even  
have to look to know that it was Fat Cat standing there. "I'll be sure to   
remember this moment forever...as the moment I destroyed you miserable rodents  
once and for all!" he ended with a scream, unsheathing his claws.  
  
"No!" Gadget cried, throwing her own body over Chip's, determined to  
protect her love as long as she could.   
  
Fat Cat stood over them, claws poised to strike. But before he could  
land a fatal blow, he heard the one thing he hoped he would never hear again.  
  
  
"RESCUE RANGERS AWAY!"  
  
  
Fat Cat's head snapped around just in time to see Foxglove flying at him   
at full speed. Before he could react, she let Dale go, and he landed feet-  
first into Fat Cat's nose. Fat Cat cried out in pain and surprise, grabbing   
his nose and staggering back. He was blinded so much by the pain he didn't   
realize he had stumbled outside until he lost his footing and fell off the  
tree, right next to his gang.  
  
Those four, who had just recently managed to rouse themselves, saw   
their boss lying unconscious next to them. Looking up, they saw Dale and a   
bat they weren't familiar with standing on the branch. "If we got beat by  
one, we don't have a chance against two more," Snout pointed out.   
  
"Let's get out of here," Wart agreed. They all picked Fat Cat up and  
hightailed it out of the park.   
  
"And don't come back!" Dale yelled after them. "You know, I've always  
wanted to say that."  
  
Gadget came rushing out, almost knocking over Foxglove in her haste.   
"Did you get the herb?" she asked, wringing her hands together.  
  
"Of course," Dale said, searching his pockets. "Hmm, I know I put it in  
here somewhere."  
  
Gadget, growing impatient, picked Dale up by his feet and held him   
upside-down, shaking him until the herb fell out, along with a few other   
unusual possessions of Dale's. She tossed him over to Foxglove and scooped  
up the herb as she ran inside.  
  
Foxglove set Dale carefully on his feet and they turned to follow her.  
"Did we make it in time?" she asked, grabbing hold of Dale's hand.  
  
"We'll know in a minute," Gadget said, ripping the leaf in half. She  
propped Chip's head up against her shoulder and let the sap from the leaf drip  
into his mouth. She placed her hand on his forehead and held it there, hoping  
and waiting. After what seemed like an eternity, a smile crossed her face.  
"His fever's breaking," she said, a tear falling from her eyes. "He's going  
to be all right."  
  
The tension in that tree evaporated like fog before the morning sun.   
Dale was so happy he grabbed Foxglove in a close hug and spun her around,  
laughing. Foxglove laughed with him and wrapped her wings around his neck.  
  
"What's so...funny?" Chip asked weakly, licking his dry lips.  
  
Gadget smiled again and pulled him into a hug. "I thought I'd lost   
you," she whispered. "I'm so sorry...."  
  
"It was a mistake," Chip said, his voice getting stronger. "It can   
happen to anyone. Besides, you just got me; you're not getting rid of me that  
easily."  
  
They all stayed like that for a time, until Foxglove pulled gently away  
from Dale. "I should be going," she said. "I'm sure you guys want to be   
alone, and I don't exactly belong here."  
  
"Hold that thought a second, Foxy," Dale said, walking over to Chip and  
Gadget. They talk in hushed voices for about a minute, Dale seeming to   
describe something very animatedly. When they were done, Dale scampered back  
to Foxglove and cleared his throat. "I talked it over with them," he said  
somewhat nervously, "and they agree. With what you've done for us today, we'd  
love to have you as a member of the Rescue Rangers. Interested?"  
  
Foxglove's eyes widened in surprise. She looked over to Chip and Gadget  
and both gave her a thumbs-up. "Am I!" she said, almost hopping up and down.  
"Just let me go home and get my stuff and I'll be right back."  
  
"Before you go," Dale said, putting his hand on her wing, "there's some  
unfinished business I have to take care of." Without another word, he wrapped  
his arms around her, tilted her back, and kissed her deeply on the lips. It  
took a couple moments for Foxglove to realize what was going on, but when she   
did she returned the kiss eagerly.  
  
Chip and Gadget sat there, watching them for a moment. "You know," Chip  
said thoughtfully, "I never thought I'd be taking a cue from Dale."  
  
Gadget raised an eyebrow and looked down at Chip. "What do you mean by  
that?" she asked.  
  
"Just this," he said with a smile. He cupped her cheek with his hand   
and brought her lips to his in a gentle but passionate kiss, which was quickly  
returned.  
  
"That was a bonza party, Zipper me lad," Monterey Jack said as he burst  
through the front door. "Who'd have thought that cheese ship would attract so  
many of me old friends?"  
  
Zipper chattered in agreement, then gestured to the mess that was   
littered around headquarters. "Too right," Monty said, rubbing his chin.  
"Looks like our pals had a party of their own while we were gone." Then his  
eyes fell on the two couples kissing and he stared in amazement. He saw  
Zipper staring much the same way, and they could only stand there and watch.  
  
Finally, Monty managed to clear his throat, getting the others'   
attention. "Umm, did we miss anything important here?" he asked.  
  
Chip, Gadget, Dale, and Foxglove exchanged glances with each other and  
then said in perfect unison. "No, not really."  
  
Monty and Zipper exchanged a glance of their own and sighed. "Something  
tells me this is gonna be a long spring," Monty said, and Zipper shrugged in  
agreement. 


End file.
